Pramesh S Jain
A day after arresting Shweta from Puducherry in connection with the gruesome triple murder in Bengaluru,police have intensified efforts to trace her live-in partner Kenneth,who remains absconding.
Six special teams have been deployed across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to track him down.
Investigators have uncovered chilling details suggesting that the couple had initially planned to murder only Shweta’s mother,Muthulakshmi,and dispose of her body at a different location.
According to the probe,the duo intended to shift the body during the night after killing her.
However,their plan was disrupted when Shweta’s father and younger sister returned home around 8.30 pm on the day of the crime.
Police believe the unexpected arrival forced the accused to kill the two additional family members,resulting in the triple murder.
The investigation has also revealed that Kenneth had rented a second one-bedroom apartment in Gururaj Layout near HAL in addition to the flat he occupied in KR Puram.
Police suspect the rented flat was intended to be used for moving and concealing the victim’s body.
The apartment,rented for Rs.15,000 a month,is now under scrutiny after officers reportedly found several suspicious items during a search.
Investigators said Shweta and Kenneth visited the flat carrying newly purchased suitcases after the murders.
During searches of another rented house linked to Kenneth in Doddanekkundi police recovered a plastic drum,a cutter and a hammer.
The discovery of these items at the residence of a software engineer has raised further suspicion about possible plans to dispose of the bodies.
Police suspect the accused went directly to the Doddanekkundi house after committing the murders.
Investigators believe they mixed chilli powder with hot water and splashed it inside the premises,allegedly to destroy evidence.Blood-stained hands were also reportedly washed there.
Although Kenneth had shifted to a flat in Sigehalli nearly two months ago,he had retained the older rented house.
Investigators are examining whether the property was kept specifically for concealing or destroying the bodies.
This has also led police to suspect that Muthulakshmi’s body was temporarily kept in the toilet as part of the alleged disposal plan.
According to police,Shweta,who was in a live-in relationship with Kenneth,had accumulated debts of around Rs 30 lakh with him.
The couple frequently quarrelled with her family over a share in the family property.Investigators suspect the murders were committed after her parents refused to divide the property.
Shweta was produced before the 47th ACMM Court, which remanded her to seven days of police custody.
Meanwhile,police continue their search for Kenneth and are collecting technical and circumstantial evidence as part of the ongoing investigation.
Authorities have formed six special teams to crack the case and are pursuing multiple leads to locate the absconding accused.
